Certified Organic (2013)

James Moats

The album came to be the way it should. I wrote songs for six months, spent a couple of weeks recording, and then a couple of months mixing and polishing. The title track, Certified Organic, sets the stage for the album. Don't think so hard about it. Don't try to cram it all into a week. Just write, and play, and it will come together.

Listen/download on Bandcamp

Track listing

1. Certified Organic
I made up my mind today, it's on I've been trying so long to impress upon Just pick it up and put it down then it is done - Now it's on Don't think about it, just get to it It's been there all along It's unlimited Your feelings always lead to Something maybe mediocre but it's something new It's certified organic All natural, no additives It's healthy for you, dude You've got to take care of you
2. Dense Water
The dreams have begun to subside In the waking hours, I'm dealing Writing, playing, occupied Not smoking, most days, I'm healing How you make your own way through this life without a god to go to Hope only floats in dense water Adversity, even self-made makes you stronger, faster, and smarter No, I meant crazy I can't find the way back to the way I felt that week the way I felt that week Stronger, smarter no longer complacent no more false contentment Inspired, traveling Out comes peace Hey, now, James, this one's on you to make or break and watch the feeble levy break and wash away these feelings
3. The Colony
Calm down and face your feelings Calm down and try to keep it real Fall back and let instincts drive you Fall back on your best laid plans Around every corner is a nightmare One foot forward is the only course Hunt and gather, get through to the next day Tomorrow's more of the same The grid's down, the water's not flowing Two hundred years back in time Keep your heads and start organizing All working from the same plan Calm down, suppress your feelings Step back and find your next meal
4. We Just Can't
You can't claim a victory for your own You can't take the time to see that you're wrong I can slave over me That came through from my heart I can't bend over I've got to feel it in my heart You can't wait to get to see what is on You can't find the time to sleep, so write on I can't say no to the mystery and the quiet part Eye candy all over I've got to feel it in my heart I can't stop what's in front of me Cotton candy, a false sense of fashion I'm just saying what's in front of me Call the stand-ins, where's my stand-in
5. Shrug It Off
I'm having trouble taking this all in With just how easy it's been Maybe time has worn down the edges But, I can still feel the rain And now it's on It's just a thought There isn't any way to shrug it off You've got me questioning all these decisions What I thought was a win I'm waiting for the realization of just how foolish I've been You know that time effs with your mind You've got to fight through it or maybe that's pride
6. Leaving Graceland
There has been a lot of talk of a reunion tour and I'm not sure how I feel about it Am I setting myself up for disappointment? Can we keep the band together now? I should know better than to think going back will ever take you forward You never know, though, maybe this time we need an optimistic light We've tried it once or twice in a past life It should be apparent how that worked out Maybe time has made us compatible Maybe old age has turned the heat down Sometimes I think it all is a gamble You play your cards right, you come back tomorrow night and get to play a second hand Maybe it's just a roll of the dice There's been a lot of time since the last go I wonder if we'll remember all the old songs I had better bring my A game or else I fear it's all for nothing and not for trying I don't want to get up and forget my lines, makes for a terrible night I've been there plenty and don't care to go back It sticks with you and fills you full of doubt
7. Lucky I Am
Another sketch, an exercise A photograph, moment in time You read, you write, philosophize Another sketch, moment in time You try again to cauterize to stop the flow, keep it inside You can't avoid the little lies The sacrifice, to cauterize Whether I applaud you falls on things I need to work through But all in all, I can't believe how lucky I am So, suck it up, you little man, it may not come this way again If stars align, it's better than you realize, just get your hands dirty All week, I have tried to stay focused on the task and get through these silly songs remembering how lucky I am
8. Climb Down
You're keen to run around Take time to dream Reality confronted Missed you again You leave the runaround Faulty, inane Just stand and wait around Your life, a game You won't get it sooner than later You can't stand in a vacuum and wait Just wait for the outcome and save it It's all prime time programming Climb down off the TV Don't tempt the fate or your feelings Just set a date You can't see the forest, baby Afraid of pain You won't get it sooner than later You can't stand in a vacuum and wait Just wait for the outcome and save it It's all prime time programming You don't know the show's overrated Gonna sack out and wait around You won't get it sooner than later It's all prime time programming Climb down off the TV Climb down off your TV
9. You Can Bass!
Instrumental
10. Radio Silence
I wrote you a text then deleted it Some things are better left unsaid It may have made a difference More likely, you would have shaken your head I then wrote an e-mail I never sent I only told you later that I anguished for hours and deleted it It may have saved me embarrassment I wrote you a song and recorded it I just thought that you'd like to know that I haven't given up, but I kind of had to just enough to stop being sad I then wrote an album and recorded it The tense is wrong on that statement I'll let you know in a few weeks How I'm feeling and how it went